Pneumatic action for player-pianos.



G. SCHUMANN, Sn,

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-8. I914.

1,1 36,372. Patented Apr. 20, 19

W/TNESSES: INVENTOR Ana/MUM THE NORRIS PETERS C0,; PHOTG-LITHQ, WASHINGTON D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE SGHUMANN, SR., OF UNION HILL, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 HIMSELF AND FRANK SCHUMANN, OF UNION HILL, NEW JERSEY.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOB PLAYER-PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application filed September 8, 1914. Serial No. 860,522.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE SOHUMANN, S12, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Union Hill, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Actions for Player- Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to novel and efficient means for transmitting the motion of the pneumatics to the wippen of the piano action, novel means for regulating the touch of the action and to various other features of construction, all as more fully pointed out in the specification and append ed claims.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure l is a vertical transverse section of a pneumatic action embodying my invention, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section through the secondary valve cup, and Fig. 3 a similar section through the primary valve.

The pneumatic action comprises essentially a channel board 1, removably connected by screws 2, to the shelf 3 of the primary valves and to the two superimposed shelves 4 of the secondary valves. As usual in this class of actions each opening of the tracker bar (not shown) communicates by a tube 5 with an air passage 6, which in turn communicates by a bleed hole 7 with a vacuum chamber 8 from which the air is permanently exhausted. WVithin chamber 8 are arranged the primary valves 9, which are supported on diaphragms 10 of the primary diaphragm shelf 11. WVhen air is admitted through the perforations of the music sheet to either one of the' passages 6, its valve 9 is lifted in well known manner, to admit atmospheric air by passage 12 below the diaphragm 13 of the secondary valve 1 1. In this way the secondary valve is lifted, to cause its vacuum chamber 15 to be placed into communication by a passage 16 with the pneumatic 17, which is consequently collapsed, so as to raise wippen-operating rod 18 and thus actuate the proper wippen 19 of the piano action.

The primary valve 9, is constructed as more fully shown in Fig. 3. It comprises a foot 20, from which extends upwardly an integral centrally disposed stem 21. Into this stem is tightly fitted a pin 22, the threaded upwardly protruding end of which is encompassed by a perforated button 23 which constitutes the valve head and is preferably made of leather. A washer 21 is secured to the lower face of head 23, while a pair of additional annular washers 25 are mounted upon foot 20, around the base of stem 21.

By the construction described the valve head may be readily screwed up or down along the pin 22, so that in this way the play of the valve may be accurately adjusted. As the valve heads are exposed above shelf 3, they are freely accessible, for regulating purposes, some piano construct-ions requiring, however, a prior removal of the strips underneath the spool box shelf (not shown). The secondary valve 14 comprises a stem 26 carrying valve disks 27 and guided in an upper bearing 28, and a lower bearing 29. The upper end of stem 26, passes loosely through the eye 30 of a nut 31, having upper flange 32, and tapped into the wall of an opening formed in shelf 4-, concentric to stem 26. The diameter of upper valve disk 27, exceeds the diameter of eye 30, so that as the valve is raised, against the nut, the latter will constitute a seat for the valve. The flange 32 is accommodated within a clearance 33 formed above shelf 4, so that by unscrewing channel board 1, the nut is freely accessible, and may be screwed farther into or out of the shelf, so that in this way the throw of the valve may be accurately adjusted.

The wippen-operating rod 18 is secured to the pneumatic 17, by a perforated binding post 34 and a set screw 35 tapped into said post. It passes near its lower end through a perforated guide rail 36, projecting from shelf 4, while near its upper end it passes through a perforated flat metal spring guide or resilient member 37. This guide is supported in an inclined position by the shelf 4: of the upper tier to which it is secured by screws 38, while spacers 39 interposed between the guide and the shelf, hold the former off the latter so as to maintain its resilient character.

The upper end of wippen-operating rod 18 is threaded and engages the central aperture of a wooden capstan 40 which is located directly above guide 37 so as to form an abutment therefor. Directly below guide 37, there is fitted on wippen-operating rod 18 an adjustable leather button 41, likewise constituting an abutment. The end of guide 37 is closely confined between a pair of washers secured to the opposed faces of capstan 4:0 and button 41, so that during playing, the guide will accurately. center the wippen-operating rod beneath the wippen. By properly manipulatingcapstan 40 and button 4:1, the elevation of the capstan, may be readily adjusted so as to secure its fit against the under side of the wippen. Above shelf 4c,'there is mounted a rail 42 which carries above each guide 37, a regulating button 4:3. By setting this button higher or lower the deflection of the guide may be regulated, to correspondingly regulate the throw or touch of the action.

I claim:

1. In apneumatic action for player pianos, a'pneumatic, a wippen-o'perating rod actuated thereby, a resilient guide secured to a fixed part of the actionand engaging the wippen-operating rod and means on the wippen-operating rod for flexing the guide.

2. In a pneumatic action for player pianos,

' a pneumatic, a wippen-operating-rod actuated thereby, a flat metal spring guide secured to a fixed part of the action and engaging the wippen-operating rod and means on the wippen-operating rod for flexing the guide. 7

8. In a'pneumatic action for player pianos, a pneumatic, a wippen-operatlng rod actuated thereby, a spring guide secured to a fixed portion of the action and engaging the wippen-operating rod, a capstan adjustably secured to the wippen-operating rod ELbOErsaid guide, and means on the wippen-op'erating rod for flexing the guide.

4. In a pneumatic action for player pianos, a pneumatic, a wippen-operating rod actuated thereby, a spring guide secured to a fixed portion of the action and engaging the wippen-operating rod, a capstan adjustably secured to the wippen-operating rod above the guide, and a button adjust-ably secured to the wippen-operating rod below the guide. 7 5. In a pneumatic action for player pianos, a pneumatic, a wippen-operating rod actuated thereby, a shelf, a spring guide secured to said shelf and engaging the wippen-operating rod, means for spacing the guide from the shelf and means on the wippenoperating rod for flexing the guide.

6. In a pneumatic action for player pianos, a pneumatic, a wippen-operating rod actuated thereby, a shelf, a spring guide secured to said shelf and engaging the wippen-operating rod, a rail above'the shelf, and a regulating button mounted in said'rail and adapted to engage the guide.

GEORGE SCHUMANN, SENIOR. l/Vitnesses:

IDA KRAPPE, CAROLINE SOHUMANN.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). C. 

